Counties in North Carolina by area median family income (HUD)

Franklin County had the highest area median family income (HUD) of 100 counties in 2015, at $78,800. Robeson County had the lowest, at $35,700. The median was $53,200. Source: the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research.

Highest78,800Franklin County
Lowest35,700Robeson County
Median53,200100 counties

Top 40 counties, 2015

Franklin County: 78,800 USDFranklin County78,800Johnston County: 78,800 USDJohnston County78,800Wake County: 78,800 USDWake County78,800Camden County: 73,500 USDCamden County73,500Currituck County: 70,900 USDCurrituck County70,900Dare County: 70,200 USDDare County70,200Chatham County: 67,400 USDChatham County67,400Durham County: 67,400 USDDurham County67,400Orange County: 67,400 USDOrange County67,400Cabarrus County: 67,200 USDCabarrus County67,200Gaston County: 67,200 USDGaston County67,200Mecklenburg County: 67,200 USDMecklenburg County67,200Union County: 67,200 USDUnion County67,200Moore County: 66,200 USDMoore County66,200Carteret County: 64,100 USDCarteret County64,100Watauga County: 63,600 USDWatauga County63,600Brunswick County: 63,100 USDBrunswick County63,100New Hanover County: 63,100 USDNew Hanover County63,100Gates County: 61,800 USDGates County61,800Craven County: 59,700 USDCraven County59,700Iredell County: 59,600 USDIredell County59,600Granville County: 59,200 USDGranville County59,200Stanly County: 59,000 USDStanly County59,000Pamlico County: 58,000 USDPamlico County58,000Pasquotank County: 58,000 USDPasquotank County58,000Lee County: 57,900 USDLee County57,900Swain County: 57,700 USDSwain County57,700Lincoln County: 56,700 USDLincoln County56,700Davie County: 56,100 USDDavie County56,100Forsyth County: 56,100 USDForsyth County56,100Stokes County: 56,100 USDStokes County56,100Yadkin County: 56,100 USDYadkin County56,100Buncombe County: 55,900 USDBuncombe County55,900Henderson County: 55,900 USDHenderson County55,900Hoke County: 55,900 USDHoke County55,900Madison County: 55,900 USDMadison County55,900Pender County: 55,700 USDPender County55,700Harnett County: 55,100 USDHarnett County55,100Davidson County: 55,000 USDDavidson County55,000Haywood County: 55,000 USDHaywood County55,000
USD. Source: HUD, HUD Section 8 income limits by county: area median family income, dollars. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2015
USD
Change on 2014
1Franklin County78,800+4%
1Johnston County78,800+4%
1Wake County78,800+4%
4Camden County73,500-5.8%
5Currituck County70,900+0.4%
6Dare County70,200+1.3%
7Chatham County67,400+2.6%
7Durham County67,400+2.6%
7Orange County67,400+2.6%
10Cabarrus County67,200+4.7%
10Gaston County67,200+4.7%
10Mecklenburg County67,200+4.7%
10Union County67,200+4.7%
14Moore County66,200+10.1%
15Carteret County64,100+10.1%
16Watauga County63,600+2.3%
17Brunswick County63,100+7.5%
17New Hanover County63,100+7.5%
19Gates County61,800+5.5%
20Craven County59,700-5.2%
21Iredell County59,600-2.3%
22Granville County59,200-0.8%
23Stanly County59,000-0.7%
24Pamlico County58,000+2.7%
24Pasquotank County58,000-2.2%
26Lee County57,900+4.1%
27Swain County57,700+9.1%
28Lincoln County56,700-12.5%
29Davie County56,100+0.2%
29Forsyth County56,100+0.2%
29Stokes County56,100+0.2%
29Yadkin County56,100+0.2%
33Buncombe County55,900-0.2%
33Henderson County55,900-0.2%
33Hoke County55,900+2.9%
33Madison County55,900-0.2%
37Pender County55,700-1.8%
38Harnett County55,100+7.8%
39Davidson County55,000+4.6%
39Haywood County55,000+0.9%
41Cumberland County54,300+2.8%
42Person County54,200-0.7%
43Transylvania County54,100-2.7%
44Guilford County54,000-2%
44Randolph County54,000-2%
46Perquimans County53,400+4.1%
47Alamance County53,300-1.1%
48Alexander County53,200+9%
48Burke County53,200+9%
48Caldwell County53,200+9%
48Catawba County53,200+9%
52Pitt County53,000-4%
52Polk County53,000-5.2%
54Wayne County52,600+5.6%
55Greene County52,400-0.9%
56Beaufort County51,900-2.6%
57Jackson County51,700-0.2%
58Jones County51,3000%
58Wilson County51,300+19%
60Avery County51,200+2.2%
61Caswell County51,000+5.6%
62Ashe County50,900+2.6%
63Surry County50,800+18.7%
64Cleveland County50,300+3.5%
65Onslow County50,000-6%
66McDowell County49,300+2.5%
67Macon County48,900-3.7%
68Hyde County48,700+11.2%
69Clay County48,600+8.5%
70Rowan County48,5000%
71Martin County48,400+2.3%
72Sampson County48,200+3%
73Columbus County48,000+0.8%
73Edgecombe County48,000-3.2%
73Nash County48,000-3.2%
76Yancey County47,600-1.9%
77Lenoir County46,800+3.8%
78Warren County46,700+4%
79Cherokee County46,500-0.4%
80Mitchell County46,200+1.8%
81Chowan County46,100+2.9%
82Rockingham County45,600-1.1%
83Hertford County45,200+7.4%
84Vance County44,600+3%
85Bertie County44,500+4.2%
85Duplin County44,500+3%
87Wilkes County44,200+17.6%
88Bladen County44,100+0.7%
89Halifax County44,000+2.8%
90Montgomery County43,800-1.4%
91Washington County43,300-13.2%
92Richmond County42,600+0.7%
93Graham County42,200+4.7%
94Anson County41,500-0.2%
95Tyrrell County41,200-12.3%
96Alleghany County40,900-1.9%
97Rutherford County40,200-12%
98Northampton County38,500-4.5%
99Scotland County38,400-2%
100Robeson County35,700-3.8%

Other periods

About this ranking

Median annual family income, in US dollars, that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) estimates for the HUD area that contains the county, for the fiscal year. HUD bases it on American Community Survey family incomes, brought forward to the fiscal year, and uses it to set income limits for its programs: the very low income limit is 50 percent and the low income limit 80 percent of the area median for a family of four, with adjustments. Often called AMI.

A program parameter, not a survey estimate for the county itself: it differs from the Census Bureau median household income and from the American Community Survey median family income of the county. HUD sets one value per HUD area, a metropolitan area (sometimes split into HUD Metro FMR Areas) or a non-metropolitan county, so every county of a metropolitan area shows the same figure. Counties in the six New England states have no value, because HUD defines their areas by town and a county can span several areas. Where HUD splits off part of a county, the county value is the rest of the county: Howard County, Maryland, without Columbia until FY2015, and Crawford County, Missouri, without its part of Sullivan. The year is HUD's federal fiscal year: FY2027 runs from 1 October 2026 to 30 September 2027.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the counties are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, HUD USER. HUD Section 8 income limits by county: area median family income, dollars. https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/il/il15/Section8_Rev.xlsx. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research. (2015). HUD Section 8 income limits by county: area median family income, dollars (Counties in North Carolina by area median family income (HUD), 2015) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/il/il15/Section8_Rev.xlsx

MLA 9

HUD Section 8 income limits by county: area median family income, dollars, Counties in North Carolina by area median family income (HUD), 2015. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research, 10 Mar. 2015, https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/il/il15/Section8_Rev.xlsx. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/hud-area-median-family-income/north-carolina-counties?period=2015. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research. 2015. HUD Section 8 income limits by county: area median family income, dollars. Counties in North Carolina by area median family income (HUD), 2015. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/il/il15/Section8_Rev.xlsx. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/hud-area-median-family-income/north-carolina-counties?period=2015.

Harvard

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research (2015) HUD Section 8 income limits by county: area median family income, dollars, Counties in North Carolina by area median family income (HUD), 2015 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/il/il15/Section8_Rev.xlsx, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/hud-area-median-family-income/north-carolina-counties?period=2015 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{department_counties_in_north_carolina_2015,
  author = {{U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research}},
  title = {{HUD Section 8 income limits by county: area median family income, dollars: Counties in North Carolina by area median family income (HUD), 2015}},
  year = {2015},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/il/il15/Section8_Rev.xlsx},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/hud-area-median-family-income/north-carolina-counties?period=2015. Publisher attribution: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, HUD USER. HUD Section 8 income limits by county: area median family income, dollars. https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/il/il15/Section8\_Rev.xlsx. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research
TI  - HUD Section 8 income limits by county: area median family income, dollars: Counties in North Carolina by area median family income (HUD), 2015
PY  - 2015
DA  - 2015/03/10
PB  - U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/il/il15/Section8_Rev.xlsx
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/hud-area-median-family-income/north-carolina-counties?period=2015
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/hud-area-median-family-income/north-carolina-counties?period=2015.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, HUD USER. HUD Section 8 income limits by county: area median family income, dollars. https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/il/il15/Section8_Rev.xlsx. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  - 
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Questions

Which county has the highest area median family income (HUD)?

Franklin County, with $78,800 in 2015, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research.

Which county has the lowest area median family income (HUD)?

Robeson County, with $35,700 in 2015.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research, HUD Section 8 income limits by county: area median family income, dollars. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Area median family income (HUD): other rankings

Counties in North Carolina: more rankings